A Moment Lost
by Cerih
Summary: Olivia finds her way back home, but there is a price to pay. AU. Olivia/Peter. Now complete.
1. Beginning of an End

Disclaimer: I don't own Fringe.

Author's note: I wrote this in my head a long time before any of it made it to a Word file. I discovered Fringe relatively late and am only a little way through season 3, so I have no idea how the two Olivia's story live will pan out. I'll be curious to see how different it will be from what I thought might happen.

Title stolen from song by Enya, A Moment Lost.

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A Moment Lost

After months of preparation, the final showdown of the war loomed. Walternate's technology tore a rift between the universes in central New York, which allowed the newly assembled machine to be transferred across, guarded by a squadron of shape shifters. All they needed to do was to wait for the Fringe division to turn up, which they were bound to do sooner rather than later, and they could apprehend Peter for the next phase of the plan. The alternate universe's Olivia was under instructions to deliver Peter safely to the shape shifters and then ensure his co-operation.

Unknown to Walternate and the shape shifters, nearby molecules shifted with a bright shimmer and three figures stepped through. Behind them, the portal closed, the two universes returning to their parallel positions. Olivia pulled her red hair into a ponytail and then looked at her two companions. Both Charlie and Lincoln looked slightly queasy after their first universe hop, but at least they were not collapsing in a heap of tumours. They looked around them with open curiosity. Despite Olivia's reassurance, the men had expected people to be driving around in hovercrafts or flying with jetpacks, but from their vantage point, things looked pretty much the same as in their universe.

"Let's see if these still work." Olivia tapped on her radio, which automatically retuned itself to find a suitable frequency. Both men confirmed that their radios received Olivia's signal loud and clear.

"This is it, then." Olivia looked at her companions, giving them a nervous smile. "Let me know when you are in position."

The team jogged to the entrance of the alley they had landed in, and looked around. After ensuring that no shape shifters were in the vicinity, Charlie turned left and Lincoln right. Within minutes they had disappeared into the crowd gathering to gawk at the strange devise and expressionless soldiers guarding it. Olivia waited until the other two were out of sight and then turned back to the alley. She had to weave through a maze of alleys to get to the opposite side of the machine.

She was about to radio her position to Charlie and Lincoln when a familiar figure caught her eye. Peter had just pushed his way through the crowd to the front of the mass of humans all staring at what would be the end of their universe. Next to her, looking wary and nervous, was the Olivia from the alternate universe, her blond hair tied back and her black suite immaculate. Olivia tore her eyes from the couple, suppressing sudden feeling of anguish. There would be plenty of time for that later, if her plan worked.

"Francis, Lee, what's your position" Olivia spoke to her radio, turning away from Peter and the other Olivia so that they would not accidentally spot her.

"All set on your mark." Charlie's voice was clear in Olivia's ear piece.

"I'm in position, ready when you are." Lincoln's response came a few seconds later.

"Let's hope this works." Olivia muttered quietly and pulled out a canister from her backpack. "Deploy the amber in five, four, three, two, one, now."

Olivia set the canister on the ground at the edge of the crowd, the nozzle towards the shape shifters and activated the mechanism that started spraying the quarantine chemicals at the soldiers. The closest shape shifters turned towards her in alarm, while a similar ripple of confusion originated from two other points along the protective circle they had created.

"Seek cover!" Olivia shouted to her radio just as the shape shifters pulled out their laser pistols.

She counted down the seconds it would take for the chemicals to reach the desired area, while she dove behind a dumpster, narrowly avoiding getting shot. At ten seconds she started to focus her mind, creating a small fireball that hovered above her right palm. At fifteen seconds she pulled a cluster bomb from her backpack and stepping out from behind the cover she flung the bomb at the machine, followed by the fireball. She retreated behind the dumpster just as a laser beam went through her left calf, causing her to curse out loud. At twenty seconds, the bomb exploded with enough force to make the ground beneath her shudder and groan.

Her plan had been simple: blow up Walternate's machine and the shape shifters without turned Manhattan into a giant crater. That was where the amber procedure came in handy. The hardening chemicals absorbed most of the bomb's power, while obliterating everything within the amber area. The heat from the bomb would in turn negate some of the quarantine's potency, thus preventing a full amber area from being created. With that done, Olivia would be able to seal the rift Walternate had created, thereby saving both universes from suffering as a result of the attack.

As she lay behind the dumpster trying to ignore the pain in her leg, she hoped with every fibre of her being that the plan would work. If it did not, she was so close that any moment she would be suspended in permanent stasis within the amber. But as pieces of heated metal and amber rained down on her prone form, she dared to feel more hopeful. When silence finally returned, she cautiously pulled herself up and limbed out to the open. The sight before her made her let out a sob of relief.

Where the machine had stood just minutes before was now just scorched and cracked road, with the occasional bit of twisted metal and small puddles of mercury. Around the parameter, about a foot high area of amber had hardened, but the substance had spread no further. As she stepped over the wall to inspect the damage closer, she spotted familiar figures approaching her from the other side. Charlie appeared largely unharmed, but Lincoln was bleeding from his arm where a piece of metal was still lodged. Olivia limbed to them, wincing at the pain radiating from her calf.

"It worked." She said incredulously and then laughed. "We did it."

"It was a good plan, Dunham." Lincoln nodded.

Olivia was about the reply, when both men suddenly focused on something behind her. She turned and saw Peter and the other Olivia stop near the amber. Most of the crowd that had gathered earlier had made a hasty retreat once the canisters had been deployed. The rest had run away as soon as they could after the explosion. Both Peter and the other Olivia looked shocked at the destruction, but for different reasons.

"Hey Liv, it's time for you to come home now." It was Charlie who broke the silence. Him and Lincoln watched as their Olivia stepped into the quarantine zone and cautiously approached them. Behind her, Peter's expression changed from confused to horror as he began to understand.

While the other Olivia watched, Charlie pulled Olivia into a tight embrace. His voice was even huskier than usually when he spoke quietly to her ear:

"Take care of yourself, Liv. I'm glad I had a chance to meet you."

Olivia clung to Charlie as she blinked back tears that were threatening to fall. Loosing her friend the second time was no easier.

"Have a good life Charlie, and thanks for being there for me." As they stepped apart, Charlie brushed away a tear from Olivia's cheek. She smiled to him through the tears and then turned to Lincoln, who pulled her into a one-armed hug.

"Thanks for everything. Don't let the worms get the better of Charlie." He laughed at Olivia's words as he let her go. Much to his surprise, she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. It was her turn to laugh at his expression.

"Now you can say you've kissed us both, once." She winked at him and then turned to look at both him and Charlie.

"Thanks for believing in me." They shared a sad smile as they though of everything they had been through together.

Charlie and Lincoln moved to flank their Olivia, who had watched the goodbyes with confusion and a little envy. The men took one of her hands each and then linked their free hands together. They were ready to go home.

"The Secretary is going to be angry that his plan failed." Olivia remarked as she prepared to open one final gate between the universes.

"Broyles can handle him." Lincoln smirked.

"Thank Broyles for me, please." Olivia asked, as the air around the trio began to shimmer. Both Charlie and Lincoln nodded and with one last smile they were gone.

Olivia stared at the spot where her friends had stood for a moment and then turned her attention to the huge rift that was still glimmering and roiling sickeningly across her field of vision. It was going to take a while to seal. She sighed and got to work.


	2. Reunion

Disclaimer: Fringe still not mine. :(

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As Olivia moved around staring at empty air, with a frown of concentration on her face and with her hands glowing faintly, Peter watched her from the distance. She was clearly working on something unseen and he was not about to get in her way. He took in her red hair, the utilitarian clothes, the strange tattoo on the back of her neck and the now redundant ear piece she was still wearing. She looked foreign and yet so familiar at the same time and he felt a sense of sorrow settling over himself.

Peter's dark thoughts were interrupted when he heard his father's voice behind him and he turned to see the old man approaching with Astrid in tow. Walter's face lit up when he spotted his son and he nearly tripped on the chunks of amber littering the ground in his haste to get to him.

"Peter, son, did you see the explosion? Magnificent! We watched from the helipad on top of the Massive Dynamic building and the noise really was something. And this gas that has turned amber, it looks fascinating. Astragalus, we must collect samples to take back to our lab. I'm sure we can figure out the chemical composition and replicate the process. And once our agent Dunham has finished sealing the rift, she can no doubt provide us with a wealth of information on how this gas works and how she used it against the shape shifters." Walter would have continued rambling on, had Peter not interrupted him.

"Walter, how do you know what agent Dunham is doing and even that this woman is our Olivia?" Peter's question elicited an exasperated sigh from his father.

"Son, use your considerable intelligence! That Olivia over there is clearly using her abilities to heal the tear Walternate created to transport all those shape shifter and that machine to our side. The Olivia from the other side was never treated with Cortexiphan, therefore she would not be able to see the damage Walternate caused, let alone be able to do anything to fix it. Therefore, logic dictates that this is our Olivia and the person that we have been working with for months was in fact the Olivia from the other universe. Oh dear, poor Olivia…" Walter's voice faded away as he turned to look at Olivia.

While the Bishops talked, Olivia had finally knitted together the edges of the tear. The air had stopped shimmering and only the still smoking remnants of the machine were glimmering faintly. The glow from her hands died away as she turned to see her old team all watching her. She gave them a tired smile and moved to walk to them, only for her left leg to give away. Olivia frowned in confusion as she looked at the pool of blood that had formed where she had stood and she felt the exhaustion from pushing her powers to their limits and beyond wash over her in relentless waves. She stayed on her knees as the others rushed to her and she could hear Astrid offering to drive her to the hospital.

"No! No hospital, please. Walter can fix me back in his lab, can't you Walter?" Olivia looked up at the older Bishop, fear and desperation warring over her features.

"Of course, my dear. I have wonderful new sedative I have been working on, which I believe you will find most comforting. Asterisk can drive us back to the lab, can't you?" Walter seemed inordinately happy that Olivia preferred his care over that of mere medical doctors.

Olivia let out a sigh of relief and pushing against the blood stained road she attempted to rise to her feet. She got half way up before her strength abandoned her and she would have fallen back down had Peter not caught her.

"Easy there, Olivia. I don't think you can walk." He held her close enough to inhale her scent and then shifted his grip so that he could pick her up. She held onto his coat with both hands as he carried her to Astrid's car and gently lay her down on the back seat. While Astrid applied a quick bandage on Olivia's leg to slow down the bleeding, Peter walked around the car and got in on the other side, lifting Olivia's head so that it ended up resting on his lap. Walter got in the front with Astrid, who started the car, glad to leave the rest of the clean up to the other FBI agents who were now crowding the explosion site.

Olivia was asleep even before the car moved and she slept the whole drive to Boston. Everyone else in the car stayed unusually quiet, clearly wanting to let her have the rest she so desperately needed. Peter spent the journey gently stroking her hair, still reeling from the implications that this was their, _his_ Olivia. For the moment, however, concern for her wellbeing overrode the darker thoughts of what his actions over the past months might mean for their future.


	3. First Aid

Disclaimer: I don't own Fringe.

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It was dark by the time Astrid pulled up outside Harvard in her regular parking spot. Olivia stirred as Peter gently eased her out of the car and back into his arms. For a moment she did not recognise her surroundings and panicked, visibly stiffening in Peter's hold. He noticed her fear and hugged her closer.

"Hey Olivia," he whispered to her, "you're home now. Everything is going to be okay." His voice seemed to soothe her and she relaxed, resting her head against Peter's shoulder.

Once inside, Astrid quickly cleared one of the examination tables and Peter lay Olivia down on the cold surface. Walter was ready with a mild sedative, which enabled Olivia to drift in and out of consciousness while Astrid cut open her trouser leg to expose the wound and then got to work with Walter in treating it. Peter hovered nearby, alternating between holding Olivia's hand and fetching supplies for his father. By the time the sedative wore off, Olivia's leg was bandaged once more and Peter had found her old walking stick, which had been abandoned in the corner of her office. Olivia lowered herself to the ground and tested her injured leg.

"Much improved," she smiled at Astrid and Walter.

Walter could no longer restrain himself and with a whoop of joy launched himself at Olivia, wrapping his arms around her. She looked startled at first, but then returned the hug, affectionately patting his back. Walter held on for a long time, but when he finally let go, there were tears in his eyes.

"I'm glad you are back, agent Dunham." He said, still holding onto her shoulders.

"I'm glad to be back, Walter." She smiled in response.

Walter finally stepped back to make room for Astrid. The two agents looked at each other smiling, and then met in a warm hug. In the background Gene mooed as if to remind everyone that she lived in the lab too. Letting go of the younger agent, Olivia looked in the direction of the cow and let out a small laugh.

"Do I get a hug too?"

Peter smiled at Olivia, whose smile faltered as she turned and lifted her eyes to meet his. As the sorrow and the need shining from her eyes hit him, he realised that this was the first time she had looked at him since her return. His smile disappeared as he wondered what was going through her head and what he was supposed to do next. Olivia, however, resolved at least one of his questions when she turned back to Astrid.

"Hey Astrid, would you mind having Walter stay with you tonight?" Olivia asked the younger agent. "I need some time with Peter."

"Sure, I'm sure Walter wouldn't mind that." Astrid frowned at the sadness in Olivia's eyes.

"Thanks," she forced a small smile, "also, could I borrow your Bureau issued credit card? I need to buy a few things, but I don't have any money that is valid currency in this universe." She glanced around the lab, looking at little lost.

"Of course," Astrid said, reaching for her purse, "keep it as long as you need."

Olivia slipped the card in the pocket of her trousers, giving the younger agent a grateful smile. Then she took a better grip of her cane and started making her way to the door. Peter gave Walter and Astrid a puzzled glance and then followed her out.


	4. The End of a Beginning

Disclaimer: Fringe is not mine.

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"So, are we going to my place?" Peter asked as he fit his pace to match her slower one, his voice echoing in the empty corridor.

"Yes please," Olivia's response was barely louder than a whisper, "I can't go to my apartment, not yet."

"Do you want to stop at a shop, get something to eat and buy whatever it is that you want to get?" His eyes were full of sympathy as he watched her from the corner of his eye.

"Not tonight," Olivia sighed.

They walked the rest of the way to his car in silence and she slipped into the front seat with a wince. The drive was also silent. She was watching the passing scenery with an unreadable expression and he preferred to give her the space she clearly needed. He had plenty to keep his mind occupied anyway, since he knew sooner or later he would have to tell her what had happened with the other Olivia. He thought tonight was too soon to break the news to her though, especially considering how fragile she seemed.

Eventually Peter pulled up outside the house him and Walter lived in, and dashed around the car to hold the passenger side door open for Olivia. She acknowledged his gesture with a small smile and slowly walked towards the house. Peter locked the car and then followed her, pulling his house keys out. He let them in and Olivia paused to glance around the familiar hall. After a while, she sighed and made her way to the stairs, using the banister as support to pull herself up one step at a time. Peter followed her to his room, where she stopped and turned around. The grief in her eyes caused a lump to form in his throat.

"Olivia," he whispered, stepping closer and reaching to stroke her cheek gently.

Olivia left her cane leaning against an armchair and lifted her hand to mirror Peter's gesture. Her fingers glided over his stubble and she used her hand to pull him closer. Their lips met in the middle and even the gentlest of kiss made Olivia let out of sob.

"Olivia," Peter whispered again, pulling back to look at her. Her eyes were filled with tears that were threatening to fall any moment.

"Please Peter," her voice cracked, "I need you."

This time when Olivia pulled him down to a kiss, he did not resist but wrapped his arms around her to get as close to her as possible. She kissed him with unexpected hunger and he felt his body respond. When she tugged at the bottom of his jumper, he held up his arms and then helped her remove the rest of his clothes. Hers soon followed and the last thing he removed was her hair band, letting her red hair fall around her shoulders, covering the tattoo at the back of her neck.

As they made love through the night, Olivia clung to Peter with strength fuelled by desperation. All the while her tears fell and he brushed them away with his lips and thumbs, tasting the salty tang of her sorrow. He whispered her name over and over as they moved together, letting himself match her desperation with passion that made his heart ache. It was nearly dawn before fatigue won and Peter fell asleep, holding as much of Olivia in his embrace as possible. As he slept, her silent tears continued to fall.

The sun was up by the time he stirred, instinctively reaching out for Olivia. When he found himself alone in the bed, he frowned blearily and lifted his head to look around the room. The first licks of panic died down when he found Olivia sitting in his armchair near the bed, resting her head on her palms. She was fully dressed in her bloodied and soot-covered clothes and was watching him gradually wake up.

"Hey," he smiled at her, hoping she would come back to bed. His smile, however, faltered when her face continued to be an expressionless mask.

"When I was trapped on the other side," she began to speak, her voice hollow and devoid of any emotions, "I discovered that my abilities still worked. In fact, passing between universes seemed to have only strengthened them. With the help of William Bell's Cortexiphan stash that I found in his apartment, I was able to start working on expanding the limits of my capabilities.

"What I needed most of all was hope. I needed to know that you and Walter and Astrid were working tirelessly on a plan to get me home. I needed that hope to survive Walternate's experiments and torture, having my memories nearly wiped away by those of the other Olivia, and having to live my days in constant fear of slipping up and somehow accidentally revealing just how much of my real life I could still remember.

"With the help of the Cortexiphan, I found that I was able to manipulate the molecules between the universes with increased ease. While it took me a long while to learn how I could pass between realities, I did learn how to create windows, so I could at least see this side. Initially they were just brief glimpses of the area exactly in front of me, but over time I learned to control the ability, so that I could keep the windows open longer. Then, I learned to see places beyond my physical location. I practised every night, because I needed hope to keep me going, to keep me injecting myself with Walter and Bell's drugs night after night. I watched through the windows, so sure you would all be working nearly around the clock, trying to find a way for me to come back.

"Instead, I saw you with her."

Olivia's words hung between them as dread settled in Peter's stomach. He now understood her desperation and tears from the night before and how she had avoided looking at him for so long. He opened his mouth to say something, but his brain was completely blank. Olivia watched the horror on his face for a moment, still completely expressionless, and then slowly rose.

"Broyles is waiting for me for de-brief." Leaning heavily on her cane, she limbed out of the room and down the stairs. A moment later Peter heard the front door open and close and she was gone.


	5. Debrief

Disclaimer: I don't own Fringe.

####

Olivia took a cab from the Bishop's residence to a close by mall. She headed straight to the nearest shop selling clothes and bought herself a new outfit, starting with underwear, and basic make up items. She changed her clothes in the toilet, carefully bagging everything from the alternate universe for the FBI technicians who would no doubt want to analyse each item. Next she used the make up to cover the dark circles around her eyes that spoke so clearly of a sleepless night. She also got herself some blond hair dye, but she knew that dealing with her hair would have to wait until later.

On her way out, she stopped at a coffee shop to buy herself the biggest coffee the place sold. While she savoured the taste with great appreciation, the caffeine in her empty stomach made her feel nauseous. Her head was already pounding from no sleep and hours of crying and she had to grit her teeth to avoid throwing up. Taking slow breaths through her nose, she discarded most of her coffee in the nearest bin and walked out to get some fresh air.

She had felt completely numb since getting out of Peter's bed earlier in the morning and she continued to be strangely numb as another cab left her outside the Federal Building in the centre of Boston. She walked in slowly, still relying heavily on her cane, but stopped when she got as far as the security. When she realised that she would need to be escorted in as she no longer had her security pass, her courage almost faltered and she came very close to running, or hobbling, out. A couple of deep breaths helped to bring back the numbness and she approached the nearest security guard before she lost her nerve again.

"Agent Dunham here to see agent Broyles," she said quickly, "he's expecting me."

The guard recognised her and frowned in confusion, but turned to talk to his radio and verify that she was being expected. A few minutes later and Broyles himself came to find her.

"Good to have you back, agent Dunham." His voice betrayed a little emotion, but his eyes were warm and kind as they took in her brand new clothes, cane and tired expression.

"Good to be back, Sir." She nodded and smiled.

"This way," Broyles nodded her through security and led her towards one of the bigger conference rooms, "now there will be quite a few people at your de-brief. I have already brought them up to speed about what the Fringe division does and also what you are personally capable of. So hopefully you can get straight to the point."

"Thank you, Sir." She followed him into a room, where ten officials with stacks of note paper and dictaphones were already gathered. She sat down, accepted a glass of water Broyles offered her and began her story.

At the end of the first day, she had got as far as explaining how Walternate had transplanted the other Olivia's memories into her brain in order to make her think that she belonged in the other reality. Her voice was hoarse from hours of talking and the feeling of numbness persisted. Once she was dismissed by the panel, with an order to be back the following morning, she followed Broyles who had beckoned her to go with him. He led her to his office, where a box was waiting on his desk.

"This is for you," Broyles indicated towards the box.

She stepped forward and eased off the lid. Inside she found a standard issue gun, her badge, access card, re-issued driving licence and passport, together with new credit cards, a new phone and some cash. She pulled the items out, feeling immediately better once she had strapped on the holster and the familiar weight of her gun was pressing against her side. Her laser pistol from the other universe, together with all her clothes and other possessions had indeed been handed to the scientists for studying.

"I can get a car to take you home now, if you wish?" Broyles offered, watching the nigh imperceptible relaxing in her shoulders as she was a fully equipped agent once more. At his words, she stiffened.

"Actually, I'm not sure I'm ready to go back to my apartment yet," she said, looking at her feet, "I mean, she lived in my home for months." Olivia shifted her weight to ease the pressure on her injured leg.

"Let me book you into the hotel next door, then." Sympathy coloured Broyles' voice as he spoke.

"Thank you", she glanced up at her boss and for a moment he saw the unguarded hurt in her eyes. Then she blinked and an unreadable mask was back covering her face. He sighed, his heart heavy for her, and briskly made a hotel reservation for her. She gave him a wan smile in thanks and limbed out.

The hotel she was booked in seemed far too luxurious, in so far as Olivia noticed her surroundings. Once in her room, she headed straight for the bathroom, pulling out the bottle of hair dye. Only when the last traces of red had been bleached out of her hair did she allow herself to rest a little. She ordered a dinner from the room service and picked at the food listlessly while surfing through the wide range of channels available. She was only half way through the meal when she could stomach no more and pushed the dishes away. Feeling too tired to watch any more TV, she brushed her teeth and went to bed.

Out of habit she had pushed her gun under the pillow before switching off the lights and when her nightmares woke her up in the middle of the night, she found herself clinging on to her weapon. She managed to swallow the scream threatening to break free as she struggled to calm her breathing. The cold, hard angles of the gun were her only comfort as she rolled onto her side and began to sob.

In the end her de-brief lasted for three exhausting days. For countless hours she recounted her experiences in a dispassionate and detached voice. She spoke of what had happened to her, of the people she had met and of the world in general. She explained in as much detail as she could about the problems the other world was facing, without voicing her speculations as to their original cause. Although she discussed her increased abilities to cross between words and create small fireballs, she kept her ability to create windows to the other reality a secret. She had no wish to become a tool to be used by the government to spy on the other universe. Only Peter knew of her new ability and whatever else she might have thought of him, she knew she could trust him.

When she was not being grilled by the de-brief panel she spent her time in her hotel room, ostensibly watching TV but really just staring into space. Every so often she would pick her up new phone, stare at it for a while and then put it down. Someone, probably Astrid, had saved contacts to the phone, so that she had the numbers for Peter, the lab, Astrid, Rachel, Broyles, the Federal Building and even her favourite Chinese take-away place. Astrid need not have done that of course, since Olivia had memorised everyone's phone numbers a long time a go. The new phone was gathering up a long list of missed calls, most of them from Peter. She had kept the phone on silent during the de-briefing, but even when it was on and she heard it ring, she simply ignored it, not wanting to talk to anyone.

Every night the nightmares woke her in cold sweat and every night the tears came. As sobs racked her body, she clung to her gun as if the cold metal was the only thing keeping her sane. During the quiet hours of night when she was too exhausted to keep crying, she knew that she could not go on like this for much longer. A plan was beginning to form in her mind and the more she thought of it, the more felt compelled to put it in action.

The morning after her de-brief was concluded, Olivia knocked on Broyles' door and for once waited for an acknowledgement before walking in. Broyles looked up from his paperwork in surprise at her as she came closer and sat down.

"What can I do for you, agent Dunham?"

"I was thinking," she said, smiling slightly, "that I'm about two years over due a holiday. So if it is okay with you, I was hoping to take couple of weeks off to get my bearings after everything?"

"Of course," Broyles looked very surprised at her request, "take as much time as you like."

"Two weeks should do it." She nodded, still smiling a little.

"Anything particular you were planning to do?" Broyles asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Not really," she shrugged, "I just want to get out of town for while."

"In that case, have a good time." He nodded as she stood up to leave. She paused at the door, her hand resting on the door handle.

"Oh Sir," she turned back, "thank you." He thought he saw a small spark of life returning to her haunted eyes, and her expression stayed in his mind long after she was gone.

Olivia took a deep breath as she walked out into the morning sunshine and shivered despite the warm weather. For the next phase of her plan, she would have to return to her apartment.


	6. Lost

Disclaimer: I don't own Fringe.

####

Peter was worried. He had not seen or heard from Olivia since the night they spent together, despite his numerous attempts to call her. He realised she would be busy during the day with her de-briefing, but had hoped that she would return his calls in the evenings. He even went to her apartment several times, but the lights were always off, which led him to wonder whether she had been back there at all since her return. Astrid had cautiously broken the news of her unexpected holiday to him, but confirmed that she had not had any contact with Olivia either. Since she had started her holiday, her phone had been permanently switched off. It had been almost three weeks since even Broyles had seen her and Peter was beginning to wonder whether she was coming back at all.

His thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing and he quickly grabbed it. When he saw that call was coming from Olivia's home number, his heart started pounding.

"Olivia?" He was trying to keep the relief out of his voice.

"Not Olivia," he heard a familiar, but unexpected voice reply, "Rachel."

"Rachel?" Peter frowned and all his worries came flooding back.

"I'm at Olivia's apartment," she said with her voice faltering, "Peter, I don't think she's coming back."

"I'll be there in 10 minutes."

Eight and a half minutes later, Peter rang Olivia's doorbell and was let in by tearful Rachel. He hugged her briefly and looked around for Ella.

"She is staying with Greg's parents for the weekend." Rachel answered his unspoken question.

Peter nodded and looked around the living room. Aside from Rachel's coat and purse on the sofa, everything was exactly as it had been the last time he had left the apartment with Olivia from the alternate universe. If his Olivia had been back since her return, she did not seem to have touched anything. Rachel followed his gaze around the room and confirmed his suspicions.

"You have probably spent more time here with her recently than I have, but as far as I can tell the only things missing are a couple of framed photographs. Even her back up weapon is still here. And then there is this."

Rachel handed him a letter, which was post marked in Las Vegas several days before. Peter's hand shook when he pulled out a single sheet of paper, covered in Olivia's familiar writing.

_Dear Rachel_

_We won a war, but for a price. Just knowing that you and Ella will have a safe future made it all worthwhile, but it took too much from me. I'm too broken to live my life as I have, which is why I had to go._

_I have transferred my apartment into your name and you should receive the title deeds in the next few days from my lawyer. If you don't want to live in it, sell it and buy yourself and Ella a nice home._

_I'm sorry I simply vanished, but I couldn't bear the thought of saying goodbye to you and Ella. I love you both more than you know. Rest assured that when the time is right, I will find you again._

_All my love,_

_Olivia_

Peter folder the letter carefully and returned it to its envelope. Despite his attempts to appear calm, Rachel could see the hurt in his eyes. He seemed to have understood Olivia's words better than she had.

"She mentioned a war," Rachel said frowning, "but I don't know what she means by that?"

Peter met her eyes and it suddenly occurred to him that she knew hardly anything about her sister's work. Without understanding what had been going on for the past couple of years, Olivia simply vanishing must seem utterly out of character to Rachel. He gently took her arm and steered her towards the sofa.

"You better sit down for this," Peter said with a sigh, "and of course officially I haven't told you anything, because this is all classified information. But imagine a world, where certain people can do incredible things. Some of those things are evil, but nevertheless incredible. Now imagine a gifted FBI agent being told to put together a team to investigate the strange and impossible events, and the first people she brought in were a mad scientist and a conman living in Iraq…"

It was much later when Peter left Olivia's apartment and drove straight to the Federal Building. His shirt was still wet where Rachel had cried on his shoulder, but at least now she understood a little better why her sister had seemingly abandoned her entire life. She also now knew why Olivia left without saying goodbye to Peter, although she had a great deal of sympathy for him as well, for she had not twigged that the person she had spoken on the phone with over the past months had not been her real sister. The only solace for Rachel was in the hope that one day Olivia would indeed return to the lives of her sister and niece.

Peter strode through the security with a wave of his ID card and headed straight for Broyles' office. He passed couple of familiar FBI agents on the way, who all greeted him, but he merely ignored them, intent on his destination. He gave a cursory knock on Broyles' door before barging in. The tall agent was standing by his desk, staring darkly at a small parcel in front of him.

"Olivia is not coming back," Peter went straight to the point.

"I know," Broyles almost growled, and pointed Peter towards the parcel.

He walked forward to see what made his superior so certain, but in his heart he already knew the answer. In the parcel, neatly packaged, lay Olivia's gun, badge, access card and her new phone. On them was a single sheet of paper. Peter raised an eyebrow as he picked it up and received a nod of consent in return.

_Sir_

_With the war over, I figured there is little need for the Fringe division. And without the Fringe division, you'll have little need for an agent who can pass between universes and create fireballs. I therefore hope that you will accept my holiday as my two weeks of notice._

_It has been an honour and a pleasure working with you. Thank you for all your kindness. Please tell Astrid and the Bishops that I'm sorry._

_Olivia _

Peter looked up from the letter, his dark expression matching Broyles' as he replaced the piece of paper in the parcel.

"Any idea where she is now?" Peter asked.

"She seems to have spent her holiday in Las Vegas," Broyles tapped his iPad and showed Peter several photos of Olivia in different casinos, causing the younger man to raise his eyebrows in surprise, "and she seems to have spent the entire time at the casinos. She visited most of them, playing poker and blackjack. Her ability to count cards came in handy, because she won steadily at each place. She was careful not to win so much as to arouse the suspicions of the security personnel, until the final day, when there was a big poker tournament. Needless to say she won. A conservative estimate suggests that she made about two million dollars in two weeks.

"At the end of the two weeks, she visited a lawyer to transfer her apartment to her sister's name, bought herself a hand gun and a licence for it, visited a post office and then simply vanished. Since then, she might as well have disappeared off the face of the earth."

Peter shook his head, and could not help feeling a great deal of admiration towards Olivia. She appeared to be as good at disappearing as he himself used to be. That, however, only steeled his resolve.

"I hope Astrid won't mind looking after Walter for a while," Peter muttered as he headed for the door.

"Why is that?" Broyles asked, not sounding at all pleased.

"I'm off to Las Vegas to find Olivia," Peter said over his shoulder and walked out.


	7. Olive Branch

Disclaimer: I still don't own Fringe.

Author's note: Thanks for all the story alerts and reviews! There will be two more chapters after this one, both of which have been written but need to be typed up still. Hopefully I'll get that done in the next week or two.

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Disappearing, Olivia found, was deceptively easy. She had deposited most of her winnings in a bank, from where she straight away transferred them to a confidential offshore account. It seemed that money could easily buy anonymity, as well as a very convincing false ID. She deliberated briefly on what her new name should be and settled on Olive Lane. It was risky, but she knew that the most convincing lies always had a ring of truth in them. Her tasks in Las Vegas completed, all there was left for her to do was slip quietly out of the city.

In all her preparations, Olivia realised that she had unconsciously learned a lot from Peter over their time working together. After years of nomadic life as a conman, the younger Bishop had remained elusive, as if he could still disappear at the drop of a hat. Old habits did indeed die hard. It was ironic, she thought, that the man she was principally running from had taught her how to run.

Away from the glamour of the casinos and luxury hotel, Olivia found a Saturday morning car boot sale. It was a quick task to pick out several changes of clothing and a non-descript bag to hold all her new belongings. She also chose several hats, scarves and three pairs of sun glasses. Satisfied that she had everything she needed, she headed for the central bus station. There she purchased a ticket to Carson City and made a point of flirting casually with the young man at the ticket counter so that he would remember her should anyone come looking. She boarded the bus with a large crowd of people, having deliberately chosen a rush hour departure time.

The bus stopped in many places on its way out of Vegas and she got off at one of those places, chosen at random. She walked to a nearby park and to public toilets she had spotted to change into the first of her newly-acquired outfits. She chose a yellow summer dress, only slightly too loose for her narrow frame, and twisted her hair into a bun under a wide-rimmed sun hat. She put on a pair of sun glasses and carefully folded the grey trouser suit she had been wearing before. On her way back to the main road, she stopped by a young homeless girl and wordlessly handed her the bundle of clothes. The girl looked puzzled but stammered a quick thanks after Olivia's retreating figure.

On the main road, she picked a bus going south and stayed on it for several hours until they stopped at a relatively large town. There she exited the bus, grabbed a quick bite to eat, changed into another outfit and found herself another bus heading out of town in a different direction. She repeated her evasive steps several more times, each bus taking her further away from Las Vegas and the chance that anyone could track her. The evening found her in a new town, where she found a motel for the night. She paid with cash and made sure that her name in the visitors' log was deliberately illegible. She barred the door of her room with a heavy armchair and slept with her newly-purchased gun in her grip.

The following morning she checked out early and stopped by in a café to purchase a sandwich and a cup of coffee. She ate while she walked to the train station and headed for the toilet there for her final disguise. Her trip to Iraq with Peter had been useful, for she was able to cover her hair and face with black scarves without any great difficulty, until only her eyes were visible. Thus dressed she bought herself a train ticket from a self-service machine, confident that most people would not look beyond her veil, but not wanting to take any risks. This time she stayed on the train until the destination printed on her ticket, a large city in Kansas. Glad to stretch her legs after sitting still for hours, she walked unhurriedly through the streets until she came across a used car dealership. Half an hour later, she drove off in a grey Land Rover.

Olivia waited until she was well out of habited area before discarding her final disguise. A truck drivers' rest stop provided a secluded spot for her to change into a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt she had purchased earlier in the week. She kept her hair up in a bun and hid her eyes behind another pair of sun glasses. The clothes she had worn she dropped in the nearest bin. Now feeling more like herself, she started her car and eased back into the road. As she travelled, she made sure that she exceeded the speed limit slightly, not enough to be pulled over but so that she would not rouse suspicions by driving exactly at the set speed either. The last thing she needed was to draw police attention to herself. Now that she had safely left Nevada behind and she had a car, she had no particular aim in mind, but rather she hoped she would know what she was looking for when she found it.

It was a week later and Olivia was somewhere in the heart of Montana. She was heading back to the motorway, having stopped in a small town for a late lunch. As she enjoyed the beautiful mountains in the distance, a small sign at the side of the road caught her eye and made her slam her foot down on the brakes. 'Olive Branch Ranch - For Sale' She stared at the sign for a while and then almost without realising put on her indicator and turned to a smaller road winding between fields and through a small sparse forest.

As the car emerged from the woods, she released a breath she had been unconsciously holding. The narrow road wound between fields where horses were grazing in small groups and ended up near a cluster of buildings. There appeared to be a relatively small farm house, a large stable block, couple of other outbuildings and five small cabins slightly further away. Beyond the buildings, more pastures stretched to a small lake, which was a creating a beautiful reflection of the Montana mountains in the distance. As Olivia took everything in, easing her car to a near crawl, she felt a tremendous sense of peace wash over her. It felt like for the first time since her return, she had come home.

When she pulled up outside the farm house and got out of her car, an old woman came out with a warm smile on her face. She looked to be about 70 and the way she carried herself suggested that she was used to decades of physical work. Her steel grey hair was cropped short and she wore faded jeans and a blue denim shirt. Behind her, a red and white Irish Setter slipped out of the door and rushed to Olivia. She bent down to greet the dog and had to brace herself against falling backwards when the dog all but climbed onto her lap. She let out a laugh at this and buried her hands in the dog's silky coat.

"Dexter, come away you silly dog," the old woman said to the dog, trying to hide her smile. "Leave the poor woman alone." Dexter ignored his owner and licked Olivia's neck. Olivia spent a few moments petting the dog and then straightened.

"He's beautiful," Olivia smiled and nodded towards Dexter who had gone to sniff her car.

"Yes, but as you can see obedience is not really his thing," the woman replied, grinning fondly at her pet. She then turned back to Olivia. "Were you looking to rent one of the cabins?"

"Actually, I'm here about the 'For Sale' sign."

The old woman, who introduced herself as Jenny Hart, led Olivia into a spacious living room and poured her a glass of lemonade. She explained that her husband Frank was in town picking up groceries and would return a little later. Dexter had followed the women in and now lay by Olivia's feet with a contented sigh.

"Could you tell me a little about the ranch?" Olivia asked and took a sip of her cool drink.

"My husband and I have owned the ranch for 27 years now. We used to rear cattle, but for the past 10 years or so we have been offering riding holidays and cabin rental. There are five cabins which all house four to six people, and there are three guest rooms above the stables. We have 20 well-trained horses that are reliable on the trails and many different routes mapped out. The longest is a two day ride, where we camp by a lake further towards the mountains, but most of the others are half a day or full day ones. Sometimes people rent a cabin but prefer to do hiking or fishing instead of riding. We have three stable hands who look after the horses and sometimes take the groups out, and we also employ a local woman to cook for the guests and clean the cabins. Frank and I deal with the paperwork, bookkeeping, reservations and marketing, as well as frequently taking people out on the rides.

"We are selling the ranch rather reluctantly, but our daughter has persuaded us to move down to California to be closer to her and her family. Besides, we are not getting any younger and running a business like this requires a lot of energy. Although we'll be sad to leave behind a place that has been our home for nearly three decades, we are rather looking forward to spending our retirement days looking after our grandchildren.

"I can show you around the farm house and the other buildings, if you want?" Jenny asked, seeing that Olivia had finished her drink. "Your timing is ideal in that we are currently in between groups of people coming to stay, so that all the cabins are empty."

Olivia got a brief tour of the farm house, which consisted of the living room, kitchen, two bedrooms and an office. Everything was clean and well-kept, although the style of the decoration was a little out-dated. They then went through the cabins, which the Harts had built when they started their holiday business, as well as the barns housing the feed for the horses and the ranch's two pick-up trucks. The last stop was the stables, which were well-lit and very tidy. The tack room had each horse's gear neatly labelled and it led to a small break room where the guests could gather before and after each ride.

Jenny picked up two lead ropes and head collars and took Olivia back out and towards the nearest paddock. The three horses there all lifted their heads to watch the women approach and came to meet them at the gate. One of the horses, a black mare with mottled appaloosa markings, caught Olivia's eye and she offered her hand to the horse. The mare leaned forward and blew warm air into Olivia's palm before rubbing her nose against the offered wrist. Olivia smiled and stroked the horse's cheek with her other hand.

"This is Sierra," Jenny said, slipping a head collar over the horse's head. "She is almost four months pregnant and soon we will be gradually decreasing the amount of exercise she does, although she does need gentle exercise throughout the pregnancy." Jenny handed Sierra's lead rope to Olivia and then expertly caught one of the remaining mares.

"We own a lot of land," Jenny explained as they led the horses towards a grooming area outside the stables, "and the best way to show you most of it is on horseback."

As they tied up the horses, a blond man in his early twenties emerged from behind the stables and smiled at the women. Jenny introduced him as Thom, one of the stable hands, and explained briefly that she was showing Olivia the rest of the ranch.

"Let me get Sierra ready for you," Thom said, offering Olivia a friendly smile and a firm handshake, before disappearing into the tack room.

While Jenny and Tom gave the horses a quick groom and saddled them, Olivia stood gently stroking Sierra's neck. Jenny kept up a steady chatter about the horses they owned, with Thom adding in a sentence or two every so often. More than once Olivia caught him staring at her with curiosity and each time he blushed and quickly looked away. When the horses were ready, he held Sierra while Olivia adjusted the stirrups and pulled herself to the saddle.

The tour of the ranch's acreage took almost two hours at a comfortable slow pace. All through it, Olivia marvelled at the wild beauty of the land around her. It had been a good 15 years since she had last been on a horse, but Sierra's steady gaits soon reminded her how to ride. The western saddle was not what she was used to, but it was wide and comfortable to sit in. Still, she was fairly sure that all her muscles would be sore the following morning.

By the time they got back to the stables, a pick-up truck parked next to Olivia's car indicated that Frank was back. Thom and two other young men, Will and Mark, took their horses and promised to rub them down and return them to the paddock, while Jenny led Olivia back to the farm house.

Frank turned out to be a tall man, with tanned face and friendly brown eyes. His handshake was firm and Olivia saw him size her up as they were introduced. Jenny explained briefly why Olivia was there and if Frank thought it curious that a young woman was interested in buying their large ranch, he did not let it show.

"So, do you like what you have seen here?" Frank asked as they sat down in the living room. Dexter sat by Frank's feet and begged attention from his master.

"The only thing I don't yet know," Olivia replied, smiling to the Irish Setter, "is how much you are asking for the ranch."

Frank and Jenny glanced at each other and then Frank named a figure. Olivia had little experience in buying ranches, let alone businesses, but the asking price seemed perfectly reasonable for the land, buildings, horses and a successful business. More importantly, with her casino winnings Olivia knew that she could easily afford it.

"I'll take it," she said, surprising both herself and the Harts.

Two weeks of legalities later, Olive Lane was the proud new owner of the Olive Branch Ranch.


	8. Healing

Disclaimer: I don't own Fringe.

One more chapter to go after this. :)

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While the paperwork for the sale was being processed, Olivia moved her few belongings to one of the guest rooms above the stables that were not needed for paying guests. She spent her days going through the business details with Jenny and trail routes and workings of the ranch with Frank. Thom gave her a quick lesson on how to tack up a horse with western style saddle and bridle and she practised every day. She made a point of seeing each horse daily, but gentle Sierra was quickly becoming her favourite. She also made a trip to the nearest larger town to buy more clothes and also to pick up some books on how to run a business and a ranch, which she read every evening deep into the night.

Then, a little less than two weeks after the sale was completed, Jenny and Frank said their last goodbyes and drove off in a removal truck. Olivia watched the Harts disappear from sight and then returned to the farm house. The old couple had left her most of the furniture, so the house was still furnished, but it looked rather impersonal, with decades' worth of mementoes and photos having been removed. Olivia had little to personalise the rooms with, but she was content to keep it that way, at least for now. It did occur to her that nights in the farm house could feel pretty lonely by herself. She looked around with some unease, wondering what dark autumns and winters here were like. She suppressed a shiver and checked that her gun was still securely strapped to her ankle. No matter how enthusiastically she had purchased the ranch, this would still be a huge adjustment for her.

The following morning Thom mentioned that he needed to pick up a new saddle for one of the horses from a nearby town. Olivia thought it would be a great opportunity to sell her Land Rover, since the ranch's two pick-up trucks were sufficient for her needs. Besides, the sooner she got rid of a car purchased during her escape from Vegas, the better. Thus she arranged to meet Thom in the town later that day, so she would get a lift back to the ranch, and drove off in her car.

Selling the Land Rover took almost no time at all, especially as Olivia was not too concerned about getting the best possible price for the vehicle. As she had plenty of time after the paperwork was signed and the car handed over, she walked through the streets to see if there was anything else she needed to pick up. She stocked up on a few toiletries and some groceries. She was planning to get lunch from an Italian restaurant further down the road when a poster on a vet practice window caught her eyes and following an impulse once more, she walked in.

The waiting room Olivia found herself in was spacious and the walls were covered with posters advertising dog foods, worming medications and other dog paraphernalia. A muscular man wearing a white coat and a t-shirt proclaiming 'K-9 Dog Training' appeared from one of the examination rooms and looked at Olivia with interest.

"Can I help you?" He asked, walking closer.

"Your window said something about trained guard dogs?" Olivia pointed superfluously towards the window.

"Did you have anything in particular in mind?" He smiled at her.

"Umm, a dog that guards?" Olivia suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"Come this way, we have some dogs in the kennels at the back," he motioned her to follow as his smile widened to a grin.

Olivia followed him past a couple of examination rooms and out of the back door, where large kennels were set up on both sides of a paved path. In the kennels were all manner of large dogs, who all perked up at the sight of people. Most of the dogs started barking, but quieted down at the trainer's signal. Olivia noticed that one of the dogs that had stayed silent was a Doberman immediately to the right of the back door. The dog looked at Olivia with clear interest and slowly wagged his tail. There was something in the dog's brown eyes that appealed to Olivia, but she forced herself to look around all the kennels and take in several German Shepherds, Rottweilers and what looked like an Akita. They all seemed perfectly capable as guard dogs, but something had her returning in front of the Doberman's cage. The dog lifted one of his large front paws to rest against the chain link wall of the kennel and cocked his head.

"This is Duke," the trainer said, "he's only two years old, but he will make a great guard dog one day. He's still a little green, though." He opened the kennel door and called Duke out. The dog trotted out with a wagging tail and eagerly sniffed at Olivia's offered hand. When Duke was done smelling her, she moved her hand to rub his ears, causing his tail to wag even more.

"I want him," Olivia said, turning to the dog trainer. "Would you be able to train him to do something specific, though?"

"What do you have in mind?" He asked, expecting to be asked to train the dog to give paw or roll over.

"Can you teach to have full alert guarding reaction to the smell of mercury?" She asked.

"When he would be smelling mercury?" The trainer looked puzzled.

"That's not important. Is that something you could teach him to do?" Olivia was fighting to keep her voice neutral and not to show her frustration. She was not used to being questioned like that.

"Sure, in a couple of weeks," he replied slowly. "Provided that you won't keep him around mercury, it's just as poisonous to dogs as it is to humans."

"Of course not", Olivia was quick to reassure him, "it's just a precaution. So I can pick him up in two weeks?"

When Olivia finally met up with Thom, she was carrying several more shopping bags containing most things she would need for Duke. Thom's eyebrows rose when he saw what Olivia had purchased.

"Didn't Dexter go with Jenny and Frank?" He frowned.

"Yep, he did," Olivia replied smiling, "so we're getting a new canine resident in two weeks."

"Yes ma'am," Thom replied, still puzzled.

Olivia didn't elaborate further, but settled into watching the scenery go by in companionable silence. She could feel that Thom was bursting with questions and could not suppress a small smile. After a while Thom's curiosity got the better of him.

"So what made you want to purchase a ranch in Montana?" Thom asked, adding quickly, "if you don't mind my asking, that is. Your accent doesn't sound like it's from these parts."

"I've worked for the federal government all my life and I simply fancied a change." Olivia replied, deliberately avoiding commenting on her origins.

"Fair enough," Thom said, guessing that he would not get much more out of his enigmatic new boss.

Two weeks later, Duke came to live on the ranch. He seemed extremely pleased to see Olivia again and greeted all the ranch employees as well as the horses with good-natured enthusiasm. But when Olivia deliberately broke a thermometer containing mercury, the demeanour of Duke changed in an instant and he began barking a loud alert bark. Olivia smiled as she cleared the mercury into an air-tight container and then gave Duke the command the dog trainer had taught her.

"Enough, Duke." The dog fell silent immediately and trotted to Olivia, who praised him and stroked his smooth coat. "I think you will do very nicely indeed."

Olivia knew she was pregnant even before she took the test. Her periods had been erratic at best in the other reality, but she had expected things to settle down once she was back in the right world. When nothing happened, she began to grow uneasy. Her morning coffee making her nauseous enough to run for the toilet sent a cold dread to the pit of her stomach and she almost ran to her car. She avoided the nearest town and went further out to get a pregnancy test. She took it in the toilet of a coffee shop and waited impatiently for the designated time, before she got the confirmation she had suspected. She leaned against the stall door to stop her knees from giving away. She never thought that her one night with Peter would lead to a child and as it dawned on her that she was carrying Peter's baby, she had to cover her mouth to stifle a sob. She drove back to the ranch feeling a familiar numbness slowly creep over her body. Thom found her later in Sierra's stall, crying against Duke's neck while Sierra rested her nose against Olivia's shoulder. He felt like an intruder and quietly retreated, making a mental note to keep an eye on his new employer.

Olivia could not keep her pregnancy a secret very long, but she said very little about it to any of the stable hands, who could not quite conceal the curiosity from their eyes. Although the pregnancy was entirely unexpected, it never crossed her mind to terminate it. She switched from reading farming books to pregnancy guides and began getting the guest bedroom ready for a baby. At night, when she woke from her nightmares screaming, she curled around her growing belly and let the tears begin to fall. Between the fear from her nightmares about Walternate's torture and her thoughts of Peter, she had plenty of reasons to sob.

As the pregnancy progressed, Olivia was forced to tackle a fear that had been festering at the back of her mind since her return – hospitals. Knowing she needed at least a couple of scans to check that the baby was healthy and developing normally, she reluctantly went to see a doctor to get a referral. She did not sleep the night before her scan appointment at the local hospital and by the time she was escorted to an examination room, her hands shook too badly to hide from the nurse. The ultrasound technician did her best to calm Olivia down and explained each step of the process as she went along, but despite this Olivia was pale and nearly hyperventilating. There was no pain or discomfort involved in the scan, but merely the hospital environment was enough to remind her of the injections and probes and the endless hours spent restrained in cold hospital rooms. When the scan revealed that everything was progressing normally, Olivia almost ran out of the hospital. She did not feel safe until she was standing in the lakeside paddock grooming Sierra, with Duke lying nearby watching her.

While Olivia was wrapped up in her pregnancy, she was also settling into her role in the Olive Branch Ranch. Her riding improved over the months until she had to stop because of the baby, and her photographic memory helped her learn the trail routes quickly. They had a steady stream of guests and the income from the business was enough to cover the costs of running the ranch, plus a little to spare for repairs and improvements. Olivia felt reassured by the early months and she knew that she could always supplement their income with gambling, although on a smaller scale than in Las Vegas.

Olivia enjoyed the simplicity of her new life, seeking comfort from the quiet pleasures of horses chewing on grain and Duke barking at a fresh blanket of snow outside. This all seemed so very far removed from the gruesome things she had investigated with the Fringe division, but she was glad she had played her role in safeguarding the reality of all the people who had no idea of the horrors threatening their existence. Although her brilliant memory never allowed her to forget the things she had seen, the sadness for all those who had lost their lives because of Fringe events was beginning to gradually ease.

Sierra gave birth to a healthy appaloosa filly a little before Olivia's baby was due. Olivia had moved Sierra to a bigger stall away from the other horses that so she could foal without interruptions. She slept in the nearby stall and checked up on the mare every couple of hours. As was often the case, however, the mare managed to foal without anyone watching and in the morning Olivia found her calmly feeding the small foal, looking slightly smug. She gave Sierra some hay and then gently patted the filly. The foal turned from feeding to look at the human before her, but then returned to the task at hand.

"Welcome to the world, Shale," Olivia smiled.

When her own labour started, Olivia got everything ready calmly and without hurrying. After the nurses had to give her oxygen because of hyperventilation during her second scan, she had realised that she would never be able to give birth in a hospital. That left her with the option of a home birth, which was only marginally less frightening. She read guides on home births, but made sure she did not mention her intentions to her doctor. So there she was, stoically drawing a bath for herself and spreading a water-proof sheet on the bedroom floor. The bath helped her through the early labour, but towards the end all she could do was try to breathe through the waves of pain. Duke watched her as she panted on the floor, but opted to keep his distance. As her screams echoed in the otherwise quiet farm house, Olivia had enough time between contractions to be glad that the worst was taking place during the night when no one else was around.

Just as the new morning's sun rose above the horizon, Olivia and Peter's daughter was born. As Olivia saw Peter's eyes staring at her from the face of the newborn, all she could do was cry tears of relief, exhaustion and joy. She was overwhelmed by the feeling of love she felt for the tiny baby, even as her daughter let out her first cries. She gently cut the umbilical cord and cleaned the baby with a stack of towels she had reserved for this. After the baby had her first meal, they both fell into exhausted sleep, while Duke continued his vigil over them.

When she woke up, Olivia was sore and achy, but happier than she had felt in a long time. She fed, changed and dressed her daughter and then strapped her to a car seat. She knew she would have to take both the baby and herself into the hospital for a check up and she felt much more relaxed about it now that she had been able to give birth in her own terms.

Thom, Will and Mark were leading horses to various paddocks when Olivia emerged from the house with the car seat and their astonishment knew no bounds when they spotted the baby by her side. They all crowded around Olivia to offer her their congratulations and to see the new arrival consider them with serious eyes.

"Did you know you were having a girl?" Thom, who was usually able to get a few words out of Olivia, asked.

"Not officially, but part of me always knew," she smiled.

"What is she called?" Mark in turn queries.

"Skye," Olivia replied after a moment's hesitation, "Skye Isabel."

"Welcome to the ranch, Skye Isabel Lane," Will tipped his hat as a greeting to the new born. Olivia flinched almost imperceptively at the mention of her fake surname, but Thom was the only one who noticed. He filed this new piece of information about his employer in the same place where he had already noted that Olivia never spoke of her past, seemed to hate doctors, had immediately bought a Doberman as a guard dog and always carried a hand gun with her. There were too many strange things about this woman who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere to purchase the ranch. Thom was not usually one to pry, but his boss left him burning with curiosity.

Their trip to the hospital was mercifully quick and both Olivia and Skye received a clean bill of health. Olivia got told off for not having called an ambulance to take her to the hospital, but she claimed that once the labour was established it was over too quickly for an ambulance to even get to the ranch. This hospital experience was positive enough for Olivia that she immediately made arrangements to see a plastic surgeon about having the tattoo at the back of her neck removed. She left the hospital with a new spring in her step and on the way home stopped to stock up on diapers and other baby essentials, while Skye slept peacefully in her car seat.

Olivia soon settled into a routine with Skye. She did not get much sleep during the early months, but her years with the FBI had taught her to get by on too little sleep. She kept Skye with her wherever she went on the ranch and as the weather improved in the spring, the baby often had her afternoon naps in or near one of the paddocks. The horses seemed to understand how precious the little girl was and were remarkably careful around her. Sierra's foal had taken a particular liking to the baby, which made Olivia very glad, as she planned to keep Shale as Skye's own horse.

As months flew by and Skye grew to an inquisitive toddler, both mother and baby flourished. The healing was so gradual that Olivia barely noticed how a weight slowly lifted from her shoulders and how she gradually came back to life after countless months of numbness. First she stopped reaching for her gun every time Duke barked at a squirrel or a magpie, then she stopped flinching every time he barked. After a while she noticed that she had forgotten to take her gun out of the safe in the morning. The nightmares of Walternate's experiments plagued her the longest, but eventually she woke up one morning and realised that it had been over a week since she had woken up screaming and shaking with fear. The nightmares still returned occasionally, but somehow the terror no longer gripped her as it had once done.

As the haunted look in her eyes was slowly replaced by happiness and the overwhelming sorrow lifted, Olivia began to miss Peter more and more. It was not just his quick wit, warm hands and the private smile reserved just for her that she missed, but also his staggering intelligence, determination and this gentleness when dealing with his father; the brilliant, confusing Walter, whom she had learned to love as an extension of Peter and in his own right. Once she allowed herself to miss Peter and Walter, her heart also ached for the forever patient Astrid and the impervious Broyles. Thinking about Rachel and Ella brought tears to her eyes. Ella would soon turn 10 and she knew that both her sister and niece would be delighted to learn about Skye. Although she longed to write to or call Rachel, something was still holding Olivia back.

Most nights sleep came easily to Olivia, but occasionally she spent hours staring at the dark ceiling above her. She played in her mind a hundred and one little conversations and moments she had shared with Peter. None had seemed significant at the time, but now she wished that she had paid more attention to how his eyes changed colour with his emotions or the way he used his hands when he was explaining something. The memories made her miss him so much she struggled to draw breath. Although they had spent only one night together, Olivia's heart and body ached for his presence near her. While she saw aspects of Peter every day in their daughter, she could not help wishing she could see him again.

The idea was so simple she could not believe she had not thought of it before. If she was able to create windows to an alternate reality, surely she would be able to see things in her own universe. She had not used her abilities since she had sealed Walternate's rift, but they were like a muscle that protested sudden usage, but that nevertheless worked. She cleared her mind and willed herself to see over distance and obstacles. After a moment or two a shimmering window opened before her, showing her the living room of the Bishops' house. Judging by the clutter around they still lived there and Walter still had his bed in the living room, which made Olivia chuckle quietly. Walter was sitting on his bed, drinking something milky and playing with a yoyo. Peter was sitting on the sofa, looking relaxed but tired. He had hardly changed since she had last seen him, although there was a hint of sadness in his eyes even when he smiled at Walter.

As she watched, Peter got up from the sofa, said something to Walter still smiling and headed for the stairs. Olivia tried to make the window follow him, but she lost control of her ability and it vanished. Assuming he was headed for his room, she opened a new window upstairs and sure enough Peter appeared a moment later. He undressed until he was wearing only his boxer shorts – causing a faint blush to creep to Olivia's cheeks – and then got into bed. He turned to face the window, drawing her attention to a framed photograph on his bed side table.

She had no idea someone had taken such a photo, although she did remember the day. The photo was of her and Peter sitting at the piano in the lab. He was clearly playing something, smiling as his body was leaning towards her. She too was leaning closer, her smile radiant as she looked at Peter. Olivia had never realised how obvious her affection for him was. As she watched, Peter picked up the photo and brushed his thumb against her loose hair in the picture. Although the window did not include sound, Olivia could make out that Peter sighed her name before setting the photo down again. The hint of sadness she had noticed before was now naked hurt in his eyes, making her throat tighten and tears threaten to fall. As Peter lay down and looked like he was settling for hours of sleeplessness, Olivia let go of the window, which faded away. Seeing Peter had clarified her thoughts and made her decide that she was ready for a small change.


	9. A Moment Found

Disclaimer: I don't own Fringe.

Author's note: Well, this is done now. It's a tad long for a first Fringe fanfic, but it rather expanded on me. I quite like it, although I deviated from my usual writing style a little. Thanks for all the story alerts and reviews!

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It had been three years since Olivia returned from the alternate universe and then vanished again. Peter had followed her trail to Las Vegas and traced her steps in the city, but when she had got off the first bus, he had lost the trail. He had stayed in the city for a couple of weeks, hoping that she might be lying low, but in his heart he knew that she was long gone. Broyles had not been able to justify calling a manhunt to look for a resigned agent of his and although Peter had used all of his own contacts to try to find her, it had been as if she had vanished off the face of the earth. He had even asked Walter to check whether doors had been opened to other realities in the Las Vegas area, but they had found no evidence of that. This gave him confidence that Olivia was probably still in their reality, even if he could not find her. He continued to keep tabs on various aliases he thought she might be using, as he had done for the past three years, but so far nothing out of the ordinary had caught his attention.

The first months after he returned from Vegas had been the hardest. He drank too much and slept too little, consumed by shame, hurt and regret. Slowly Walter had lured him into working on projects to prevent from becoming an embittered hermit. He had welcomed the distraction, as any moment alone with his thoughts was unbearable. Astrid had after a while tried to organise him dates with her single friends and he had gone along with it at first, mainly out of politeness. But when he had spent a second night listing all the ways the woman before him was not Olivia, he had made it clear to Astrid that he did not want any more dates. For once she had given up without a fight.

Walter had hesitantly given him the framed photo he had once secretly taken with Astrid's camera as a Christmas present the first Christmas after Olivia's disappearance. It became a focal point for his life and his eyes automatically drifted to dwell on Olivia's smile whenever he was in his room. He knew it was foolish of him to be so fixated on a past mistake and a love he had lost. For all he knew, he would never see or hear from Olivia again. Still, he could not help the hope that remained fluttering in his heart. As it was, he slept just enough to function and spent most of his energy on maintaining some semblance of a life while he was waiting.

The morning the letter arrived, he was running late. Astrid had picked up Walter earlier, allowing Peter to oversleep. Now he was rushing around grabbing something to eat while trying in vain to get his hair under control. As he was looking for his keys, he heard the post arrive. He was only going to move it aside and leave opening it until the evening, when a small envelope caught his eye. He recognised Olivia's handwriting immediately and his heart started beating faster. He forced himself to inspect the envelope thoroughly, noting with interest that it was posted from Montana. Only when he deemed that nothing more could be gleaned from the envelope did he carefully tear it open. It contained only a single photo. Peter took one look at it and felt his heart skip a beat. A toddler that was so clearly his was smiling brightly at the camera, standing under the watchful gaze of a big Doberman next to a sign saying 'Olive Branch Ranch'. On the reverse of the photo were the words 'Skye Isabel' and a date that confirmed his suspicions about when the child had been conceived. He frowned when something wet landed on the photo and then realised that he was crying.

With the clue Olivia had given him, it took no time at all to find her. Peter phoned Astrid to say that he would be coming to the lab later, if at all, while he waited for his laptop to wake up. A quick Google search found the Olive Branch Ranch's website, which was clear and concise, explaining the ranch's history, what kind of holidays they offered and had plenty of photos of the ranch, the horses and groups on horseback. Peter noted that Olivia had been careful as there were no photos of either her or her daughter, nor did the website mention anything about who owned the ranch. Aside from the fact that the ranch was in Montana, the only indication that he had found the right place was a large Doberman that was show in several of the photos.

Having read through the website twice, Peter then looked through some of the other search results and found several blog entries from people who had been on a riding holiday at the ranch. Here Peter had more luck, because one of the photos showed Olivia on horseback, clearly leading a group on a trail ride. She did not seem to be aware that she was being photographed. She looked different dressed in jeans and a t-shirt rather than a suit and appeared relaxed and happy. The same blog entry mentioned that the ranch's owner Olive Lane had made her guests feel immediately welcome and had ensured that they had a wonderful holiday.

"Olive Lane," Peter muttered, "very clever Olivia."

Another blog entry specifically mentioned Duke the Doberman, who was supposedly the sweetest guard dog the guests had ever met and who seemed to adore the owner's young daughter completely. The only time they had seen Duke's guarding in action was when a guest had broken a thermometer and the dog had immediately, and rather strangely, gone to high alert.

"You trained a dog to react to mercury," Peter whispered to himself, astonished. "At least you know how to protect yourself, even on a ranch in Montana."

A final search of a different nature revealed that the ranch's registered owner was indeed Olive Lane, who had purchased the place almost three years ago. This confirmed that Olivia had been living there for most of her absence, although how she had ended up buying a ranch in Montana he could not understand. Not that it mattered any more. He had found her and since she had sent him the missing piece of the puzzle, he could only assume that she was ready to be found.

"Hey Astrid," Peter hit his speed dial while pulling some clothes out of his wardrobe and into a bag. "Do you think you could keep an eye on Walter for the next few days? I'd like to follow a possible lead."

"Sure Peter, where are you off to?" Astride was used to Peter running off to different places following obscure leads in an attempt to find Olivia. She expected that this would end up as another disappointment for him.

"Montana."

Peter took a taxi to the airport and bought a ticket on the next flight to Helena. It was late by the time the plane landed, so he got himself a room in a nearby motel. He had a long drive ahead of him and Peter assumed that Olivia would not appreciate it if he turned up in the early hours in the morning, like in the old days. After three years of not seeing her, even one more night seemed far too long, but Peter knew he had to be patient. He lay down on the motel bed with a sigh and hoped it would not take him too many hours to get to sleep.

Peter woke up early the following morning and rented a car from the airport. He entered the ranch's address into the satnav and followed its directions out of the city. While he drove he had plenty of time to consider what he would say to Olivia when he finally saw her. All the words seemed so inadequate to describe how much he had missed her and how terribly sorry he was that he had been fooled by the Olivia from the alternate reality. How would he explain that seeing the hurt in Olivia's eyes was enough to break his heart into a million pieces? And to discover now that they had a child together, what did one say to that? Part of him was furious that he had missed so many moments of his daughter's life and another past was determined that he would never miss another thing.

As he turned off the motorway and followed smaller roads towards his destination, Peter began to see why Olivia might have found the area appealing. He had been to Montana before, but had never really looked at what was around him. Now he found a certain sense of tranquillity about the scenery. It only intensified when he turned to a side road signposted 'Olive Branch Ranch'.

Thom was grooming one of the horses outside the stables when the black SUV pulled up by the farmhouse. A man stepped out and seemed to be transfixed by the ranch sign next to the house. When he made no sign of moving, Thom left the horse and approached the car.

"Can I help you?"

Peter turned to look at the young man before him and frowned at the flash of recognition in the stable hand's eyes. "I'm looking for Olivi…Olive. Is she around?"

"Yes," it was Thom's turn to frown at Peter's slip. "She is in the lakeside paddock, with the two appaloosa horses. Just take the path leading towards the lake and you can't miss it."

"Thanks," Peter nodded and headed the way Thom pointed. Thom watched him go, still frowning. No one had come looking for Olive in the three years she had owned the ranch. She had been frightened of something for a long time and Thom wondered whether she would be pleased about being found now.

Peter's heart began to pound as he opened the paddock's gate enough to slip through. Ahead of him, the lake showed a beautiful reflection of the mountains and distant woods, where the leaves were just beginning to turn red and yellow. Near the lake a black appaloosa was grazing next to a woman seated on a chequered blanket. A large Doberman was also asleep on the blanket. On the far side of the woman an appaloosa filly was laying in the long grass, snoozing. Olivia had let her hair grow long and hours outside every day had bleached it almost white. When the gentle breeze swept it aside, he saw that she no longer had the tattoo at the back of her neck and he was glad.

Duke was the first to acknowledge his approach and the dog rose to greet him. He did not seem the greatest of guard dogs, considering that he met Peter with a wagging tail, but the blog entry about mercury suggested that there was more to the dog than met the eye. The black mare also glanced his way, but then continued her grazing, pausing only occasionally to rub her nose against Olivia's shoulder. Peter stopped at the end of the blanket, uncertain how to proceed. Just then Olivia turned her head to look at him and gave him a radiant smile. His breath caught in his throat, for despite having looked at a photo of her every night and morning, he had forgotten how truly beautiful she was. Whatever she had been looking for in this place, she had clearly found it, because gone were the lines of worry and sadness from her face. Her skin was more tanned from her work outside and although she was as thin as ever, there was a healthy glow about her.

"Hey," her voice was warm when she spoke.

"I finally found you," Peter managed to find words after couple of false starts.

"You were only ever a heartbeat away," Olivia pointed towards the filly lying nearby.

Peter had been so caught up in seeing Olivia again that he had forgotten to wonder where their daughter was. Now that he followed Olivia's hand, he saw that tucked against the filly's warm side on a smaller blanket lay Skye, fast asleep. Skye was facing Shale and her small hands were pressed against the horse's short coat. The photo he had of her did not do justice to the way his and Olivia's features had combined to create a beautiful new person.

"She's perfect," Peter smiled at Olivia, awed by their daughter.

"Yes she is," Olivia agreed and patted Duke who had settled down next to her.

Peter sat down on the other side of Olivia, closer to Skye. There was a picnic basked in front of the blanket and a bone for Duke that he had abandoned. Peter felt something warm brush against his palm and then Olivia's hand slipped into his and their fingers entwined. He looked at their joined hands for a moment and then lifted his eyes to find Olivia watching him. He thought he saw a hint of uncertainty creep into her eyes for the first time.

"I missed you," her voice was barely above a whisper.

"I missed you too, more than you know," Peter replied, squeezing her hand gently. He took a deep breath. "Olivia, I need you to know how sorry I am…" Olivia's finger on his lips stopped him in mid sentence.

"It's okay Peter," Olivia assured him. "I forgave you a long ago and it's all in the past anyway. The future is what matters now."

Peter searched her face for a while, but saw only affection and sincerity in her eyes. Then, looking braver than he felt, he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers before pulling back to gauge her reaction. Olivia only smiled and leaned closer to Peter, who met her half way. The kiss that followed was warm and gentle, a far cry from the desperation that had tinted the one night they had spent together. Gradually the kiss deepened, until they were interrupted by a small, sleepy voice:

"Mummy?"

Olivia lingered against Peter's lips for just a moment longer, before breaking the contact and turning to Skye.

"Come here, sweetheart," she called, smiling and beckoning with her free hand. "Come and meet your daddy." Peter's heart swelled at Olivia's words.

"Daddy?" Skye frowned slightly but then pushed herself up and walked a little unsteadily towards her parents, who were still holding hands. She settled into Olivia's lap and looked at Peter curiously. "Are you my daddy?"

"Yes, yes I am," Peter replied, suddenly blinking back tears that were threatening to fall. The little girl nodded seriously and turned to play with Duke's ears.

"So this is Skye Isabel Lane," Peter said, still awed by his child.

"Actually no, not Lane," Olivia looked away and used her free hand to stroke Skye's blond hair. "She's Skye Isabel Bishop."

"You gave her my surname?" Peter asked incredulously. This time a tear did escape from the corner of his eye.

"It seemed like the right thing to do," Olivia explained, blushing slightly and glancing at Peter. He did not reply, but instead leaned in to kiss Olivia again.

They sat in silence for a while, just watching Skye stroke Duke, and they were content to enjoy one another's company. Peter's thumb was rubbing slow circles on the back of Olivia's hand and the simple gesture was enough to re-establish a connection between them. When Skye got restless, they gathered up the blankets, said goodbye to the horses and headed back to the farmhouse. Thom saw them coming and then had to pause to look again. Olive, who always did her best to avoid physical contact with people other than her daughter, was carrying Skye and holding hands with the newly arrived man, who in turn was carrying their picnic basket in his free hand. Thom was still standing there, staring, when the trio reached him. Olivia smiled to him brightly, looking happier than she had ever looked before. He had to suppress a twinge of jealousy, despite there having never been anything romantic between him and his employer.

"Thom, I would like you to meet Peter," Olivia introduced the men. "He is Skye's father."

Thom's eyes widened in surprise and he looked from Skye to Peter. He had to admit that the resemblance was striking. Realising that he was staring again, he offered his hand to the newcomer. Peter put the basket down to shake his hand, rather than letting go of Olivia. The smile he offered Thom was almost as wide as Olivia's.

"Thom, could you get Falco out, please?" Olivia asked, her eyes sparkling with amusement at his reaction. "I want to show Peter the rest of the ranch. Can you get Falco ready while I go get Sierra?"

"Yes ma'am," Thom nodded and headed for the stables. Olivia and Peter shared a smile, before she directed him to leave the basket on the porch and to keep Skye entertained while she got her horse ready.

Peter got Skye and Duke involved in a game of fetch and while he kept an eye on them, he could not help watching Olivia from the corner of his eye. She had called Sierra to the gate and led the horse to the stables. As she got started grooming the mare, she spoke to her quietly. Olivia looked relaxed, confident and perfectly at ease with the task at hand. It was a far cry from working for the Fringe division and yet she fitted here just as well. She had made a place for herself here and now she belonged. Peter realised suddenly that she was here to stay. He began to wonder how he would create a life here in the heart of Montana for himself and Walter. Now that he had found Olivia again, it was inconceivable that they should ever be apart.

Thom led a roan horse to him, rousing him from his thoughts. He eyed the horse a little uncertainly, acutely aware that he had not ridden a horse more than a handful of times.

"It's easy, really," Thom said, holding Falco's reins. "Put your left foot on the stirrup and pull yourself up using the saddle horn."

Peter managed to get himself up onto the saddle, feeling a little precarious and rather jealous at the ease with which Olivia swung herself onto Sierra's back. Thom picked up Skye and together they waved goodbye. Olivia headed off and Falco followed Sierra without any prompting from Peter. Duke hesitated for a moment and then sprinted after the horses.

They rode at a sedate pace while Peter was getting used to being in the saddle. When he felt more confident, they tried trot and even slow canter, but mainly they walked their horses. As they rode, Olivia spoke of the ranch and the horses, in particular about Sierra and her plans to train Shale to be Skye's horse in a year or two. Peter was content to simply listen to her and smile, marvelling how happy she seemed. He loved seeing her so openly enthusiastic and passionate about her life, which was worlds apart from the cool reserve behind which she had hidden herself as an FBI agent. For the first time she was allowed to be herself, without a superior complaining if and when she got emotionally involved.

"What is it?" Olivia asked and Peter realised he had been staring.

"I can see why you love it here," he replied, making Olivia's smile widen.

Their slow ride took longer than Peter expected and by the time he dismounted outside the stables he could feel his muscles beginning to ache. He nevertheless insisted on helping Olivia with the horses, as he figured he might as well start learning as soon as possible. As they worked, Peter talked quietly about how the remnants of the Fringe division had been transferred to Homeland Security's science department and given more or less free rein to work on whatever they wanted. He also outlined some of the projects Walter, Astrid and he had been working on, despite it all being classified information. Olivia listened without interrupting and Peter thought he saw a glimpse of wistfulness in her eyes.

Once the horses had been returned to the paddocks, they headed towards the house to find Thom and Skye. Duke ran ahead, leading them behind the house where Thom and Skye were reading in the late evening sun. When she spotted them, Skye got up and ran a little unsteadily towards them. She hugged Olivia's legs and then indicated that she wanted to be picked up by her father. Peter's face split into a huge grin as he took the little girl into his arms. Olivia stroked Skye's hair and then rested her hand on Peter's arm. Thom, feeling like he was intruding on a private moment, bade them good night and headed for his car.

Olivia asked Peter and Skye to get the ranch's barbeque going while she got the dinner ingredients ready, and headed for the house. She came out some time later, having changed into a red summer dress and carrying on a tray steaks and vegetables for cooking. While Olivia watched the barbeque, Peter got his bag from the rental car and took it inside, where he quickly changed into a clean t-shirt and another pair of jeans. He glanced at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and ran a hand over his chin. He had shaved in the morning, but new stubble had already grown. He wondered about having a quick shave, but decided against it because he did not want to keep Olivia and Skye waiting.

When Peter returned to the patio, Olivia was just finishing feeding Skye her dinner. He got the food cooking, while Olivia wiped the little girl's hands and face and gave her some baby crayons and paper to keep her entertained while they ate. When the food was ready, Peter served first Olivia and then himself. They ate while chatting about Skye, who seemed to like being the centre of attention. As Olivia told him stories about the little girl, he hung onto her every word, eager to learn as much about his daughter as possible. After dinner Olivia put Skye to bed while Peter cleared the table. He then returned to the patio to watch the setting sun, enjoying the quiet of the countryside.

"She's asleep," Olivia said from behind him some time later, rousing him from his thoughts. He turned to watch her approach with two glasses and a bottle of red wine. She sat down opposite him and set down the glasses and the wine. She smiled a little shyly as she nodded towards them. "I've barely touched alcohol while I've been here, but I figured this was a good occasion for opening a bottle of wine."

"Actually, I would rather be clear-headed tonight," Peter said as he pushed the bottle away.

"Okay," Olivia smiled for a moment and then her expression grew serious. "Peter, I owe you an apology for not telling you about Skye sooner. I knew that if you found out, you would find me and I simply wasn't ready for that until now. But it was selfish of me to keep your daughter a secret from you and for that I am very sorry."

"Thank you," Peter said, glad that she seemed to understand things from his perspective.

They sat in silence for a while, openly watching each other, until Peter spoke. "Walter is going to go nuts when he hears that he has a granddaughter. She is going to be the most spoilt little girl. That, and he will want to start teaching her the periodic table soon." Olivia laughed at the thought.

"Have you told him yet?" She asked.

"No," Peter shook his head. "I wanted to see you first. And I wanted to make sure that you wanted to be found. Once I tell Walter, he will never leave you alone again."

"Is he still bugging you to get married in his purple suit?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He hasn't mentioned it at all since you disappeared." Peter grew more solemn and Olivia's smile faltered.

"I'm sorry Peter," she whispered, "I just couldn't stay."

"I get it," he held up his hand. "Had I found that someone had been living my life and taken the woman I loved, I expect I would have needed some distance too. I blame myself, not you." When their eyes met, they saw their own sadness mirrored in the other's eyes. Olivia wanted to explain that what had happened between him and the other Olivia was only a part of the reason why she had chosen to disappear, but she felt that time was not right for that conversation just yet.

"So what happens now?" Olivia finally asked.

"I would like to be part of your life," Peter replied without hesitation, "if that's okay with you?" His eyes showed a hint of uncertainty.

"I'd like that," Olivia smiled, "and I'm sure Skye would too." They sat in comfortable silence for a while.

"You should call him," this time it was Olivia who spoke. "Call Walter and tell him about Skye."

"I will," Peter nodded, "but I would like to keep you to myself for just a couple of days." Hesitation crept to his eyes again, but it disappeared when Olivia's smile brightened.

In silent agreement they rose and headed inside. Peter put the wine and the glasses away, while Olivia lit several large candles. She took the two of them to her bedroom and then indicated that Peter should take the remaining two through. "I'll go check up on Skye," she whispered.

Walking in with the candles, Peter entered Olivia's bedroom for the first time. As he set the candles on her chest of drawers, the light reflecting off glass on her bedside table caught his attention. He frowned and walked closer for a better look. By her bed were the three framed photographs she had taken from her apartment three years previously. One was an old photo of young Olivia with her mother, one of Rachel and Ella, but it was the last one that made him smile. In it Astrid, Walter and himself were gathered around one of the lab tables, working on something no doubt gruesome. Astrid was looking at Walter, who was explaining something to her, while Peter had just glanced up in time to see the camera and there was a small smile plying on his lips. He remembered seeing the camera from the corner of his eyes and later teasing Olivia about it, but he had no idea she had framed the photo. He could not recall seeing it anywhere in her apartment, as he had with the other two photos. He could also not help noticing the significance of Olivia having a picture of him by her bed just as he had one of her by his bed.

"You were in my thoughts every day," Olivia said quietly from the doorway.

"You were in mine every day, too," Peter replied as Olivia came slowly closer.

Peter raised her hands to stroke Olivia's bare shoulders along the edge of her dress and drank in the sight of her before him. She ran her fingers lightly along his stubble and the similarities with the last time they had stood together like this struck him. But this time there was no sadness in her eyes and no unspoken horrors hung between. When he leaned in to kiss her, there was only love and tenderness in that kiss, rather than desperation.

This time, as they made love, they took time to savour each moment. They moved slowly to memorise each curve and angle in one another's bodies and every inch of skin bared was a new revelation. Three years spent apart and thousands of miles between them melted away as they found in each other everything they had been looking for.

Much later, when Olivia lay in Peter's arms, she smiled at him while tracing the lines of his chest with a finger. "I love you Peter," she said quietly, but with conviction.

"I love you too, Olivia," Peter replied and leaned down to kiss her.

As they got lost in the kiss, they could feel drowsiness claiming them. The kiss slowed when they drifted off to sleep, each safe in the knowledge that the time was finally right for them. They had lost one chance to be together, but now they had found a new moment for their love.


	10. Good Will To All Mankind

Disclaimer: I don't own Fringe.

Author's note: A couple of people asked for a epilogue, so here it is. It's quite short, relatively speaking, but ties up loose ends quite nicely. This is definitely the end for this story though. Thanks for everyone who've been reading, reviewing and adding story alerts!

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"Ooh look, the turkey is ready! This is my favourite part!"

Peter and Olivia shared a smile at Walter's exclamation. He remained endearingly enthusiastic, despite this being the eighth aspect of Christmas Day that he had declared as his favourite so far. Walter was sitting at the end of the table, wearing a blue paper crown on his head and a garland of silver tinsel around his neck. His eyes were shining as a smiling Astrid set the turkey at the centre of the table and took her place next to him.

"Grace! Please can I say the grace?" Walter asked and launched straight into it without waiting for an answer. "Dear God of any denomination who happens to be listening, assuming of course that it is a deity that has developed hearing as one its senses and that it takes interest in what I may or may not be saying. Thank you for this lovely turkey that Astragalus has cooked for us. I really don't know where we would be without Agent Farnsworth, especially now that my son spends all his time in the bedroom with his beloved wife." This caused Peter to choke and protest loudly. "Thank you for bringing Agent Dunham back to us, although she's not really Agent Dunham anymore. Thank you for my beautiful grandchild, who has fortunately inherited her father's intellect, but none of his looks." Peter protested even louder this time. "Thank you for this time we can spend as a family and for all the happiness that this autumn has brought to us. Oh, and please could you bring Gene a bag of liquorice as a Christmas present?"

"Walter, Santa brings presents, not God," Peter pointed out once he decided that his father had probably finished his highly unorthodox grace.

"Don't be silly, Peter, everyone knows that presents can't be delivered by a fictional character." Walter countered as his best lecturing tone.

"Is he referring to Santa or God?" Olivia asked Peter quietly, causing him to chuckle and he forgot to argue back. Peter looked at Olivia for a moment, his love evident in his eyes, and then kissed her gently.

"See, there they go again!" Walter complained to Astrid, but there was warmth in his tone.

Astrid shook her head at the Bishops and distracted Walter by starting to carve the turkey. By the time Peter and Olivia separated again, plates and steaming dishes of food were being passed around. Rachel caught her slightly flushed sister's eye across the table and winked, causing Olivia to blush properly. Ella grinned at her aunt and Peter across the table. Peter checked that the food on Skye's place was cool enough for the toddler and then encouraged her to start eating on her own, which she had mastered very well in the recent months. Olivia looked at the smiling faces of her family gathered around her and felt a tear roll down her cheek. Peter, who was as perceptive around her as ever, noticed this and lay his hand on her arm.

"Is everything okay, sweetheart?" He asked quietly.

"Everything is perfect," Olivia replied and her radiant smile was enough to make Peter's heart skip a beat.

Olivia was right, everything was perfect. Peter had called Walter three days after arriving at the Olive Branch Ranch and told his father not just the good news of finding Olivia, but that he had a daughter. Walter had taken advantage of Massive Dynamic's resources and hijacked a private jet to fly himself and Astrid to Montana straight away. One of the company's helicopters landing on an unoccupied paddock had caused quite a stir on the ranch, not to mention the world's most powerful corporation's sole owner barging out and greeting Olivia like she was his long lost daughter. Olivia's true identity had not stayed secret long among the ranch's employees, although fortunately they thought that Walter's mutterings about shape shifters and alternate realities were simply ramblings of a slightly insane scientist.

As Peter had predicted, Walter was overjoyed to learn about Skye, and him and his granddaughter became friends instantly. Peter had also been right about Walter refusing to leave them alone once Olivia had been found. He had immediately transferred the whole science division that they worked in to Montana, taking over one of Massive Dynamic's local research facilities for the purpose. His enthusiasm had been curbed only when Olivia sternly threatened him with grievous bodily harm should he ever attempt to experiment with Skye, any of the ranch's animals or on the ranch's land. Thom, who happened to be nearby when the conversation took place, had looked rather shocked at some of the graphic details Olivia used to scare Walter into obedience. Much to Peter's surprise, his father had meekly given his agreement.

Gene had also been transferred to the ranch and seemed very content among her new equine friends. Spending time grazing outdoors was a great deal better than living in a bizarre basement laboratory. Skye had fallen in love with the cow straight away and helped Olivia brush and milk Gene every day. It was uncertain which the bovine liked better, the little girl or all the apples and carrots Skye surreptitiously fed to the animal.

Walter had temporarily moved into one of the cabins meant for the guests, while they built an extension for the farmhouse. When it was completed, it would be a self-contained flat, with its own kitchen, bathroom and entrance. This provided Peter and Olivia with some privacy, while at the same time ensuring that they need not worry about Walter any more than usual. Astrid had found herself a small house in the nearest town, although she spent most of her free time at the ranch. She loved playing with Skye and Duke and was learning to ride. Thom was giving her lessons in the evenings and Peter and Olivia privately thought that there was something going on between the two.

Olivia and Peter had married only two months after Peter had arrived at the ranch. It was a sunny autumn day, the nature seemingly holding its breath during the beautiful ceremony. They were married on the ranch, with the horses watching the proceedings from the nearby paddocks. Olivia had worn a simple white dress and she had looked radiant with Skye by her side as a flower girl. Walter had beamed as Peter's best man, demanding to adjust Peter's bowtie at least five times more than was strictly speaking necessary. Rachel and Ella were also there, Rachel weeping openly at her sister's happiness. Their reunion had been tearful, but as Olivia had suspected, both her sister and niece were delighted to find out about and meet Skye. Ella in particular had taken to her young cousin, which made both Rachel and Olivia smile with pride.

As an icing on the wedding cake, a week after she became Olivia Bishop, Olivia had woken Peter up early one morning and told him that she was pregnant.

Olivia was roused from her fond memories when a large slice of chocolate pudding was placed in front of her. She smiled at Peter but then her attention was caught by Walter turning to address Skye.

"Now listen carefully, my dear. If I say number three, you say?" He looked at his granddaughter expectantly.

"Lithium!" Skye exclaimed and was rewarded with a sharp click. Walter handed her a yellow Smartie, which she ate grinning.

"Lets try another one. I say number nineteen and you say?"

"Potassium!" Skye did not hesitate in her answer and again received a click and a sweet from Walter.

"You really are such a clever little girl!" Walter smiled proudly, while Peter frowned at him.

"Walter, are you using clicker training to teach our daughter the periodic table?" He asked with a great deal of suspicion.

"Yes, and it's working!" Walter seemed inordinately pleased with himself.

"Skye is not a dog!" Peter protested.

"Well of course she's not, she is bipedal after all, but the principles of dog training apply just as appositely to young children. In fact, I wrote a paper on that some time ago, but the pedagogic journal I sent it to never published it for some reason…" Walter's words faded away to mumbling and then he got distracted by the dessert and forgot all about their child rearing differences.

Olivia and Peter rolled their eyes and grinned at each other. While the clicker thing was rather weird, they were glad that Walter was taking such an active role in Skye's education and life, even if his methods were a little unusual at times. Olivia was about to give the chocolate pudding before her the attention it deserved when she felt something flutter inside her and she placed her hand against the swell of her stomach. Peter noticed this and laid his own hand next to Olivia's.

"Everything okay with Charlie?" He asked, watching his wife with a mixture of love and concern.

"Everything is fine, I think he just woke up." She smiled at Peter worrying. Unlike her, he had never done this before and in any case, he was prone to worrying about anything relating to her or the pregnancy. When she had said they were having a boy, a confident statement later confirmed by the ultrasound, there was never any question about what they would name their son. They could hardly wait to meet Charlie Walter Bishop, although there were still some months to go before the baby was due.

In the farmhouse, Christmas celebrations continued until late in the night and the house was filled with laughter and happy voices. Outside, large fluffy flakes of snow began to fall, coating the world in a layer of clean, pure snow. All was well at the Olive Branch Ranch.


End file.
